Proserpina
Like a dr*ggie who needed her fix, I needed to see Lucien Delano, my lover, to hold him, to feel his strength one last time.
And so I found myself back at the club where it had all begun.
My shadow, the burly, unpleasant White, had murmured his misgivings, but I had insisted coolly and he had had no choice but to take me to the gentlemen's club where I had first met Lucien Delano, my Mafia Don. He had appeared taken aback when I frowned at him and put my foot down, demanding that he drive me to the club.
"If you don't take me," I said firmly, glaring at him, "I shall simply take a cab." Breathing heavily, my face hot with anger, I went on calmly.
"You can't stop me."
It was probably the first time I had opened my mouth to confront him, and his jaw dropped. Ana the cook, turned and stared at me, disbelief etched on her otherwise sneering face.
With a toss of my head, I marched out, my overly large jacket flapping in the wind as I went to the gates, determined to leave.
I had also calculated that White would be scared to let me out of his sight. He would have no choice but to take me himself, or Lucien Delano would have him flayed alive.
***
My ploy worked.
I had only marched a few steps up the driveway when his voice stopped me, panicky and breathless.
"Wait, Miss!" he called, hurrying to catch up with me.
I spun around and fixed him with a devastating look.
"Yes? "I asked sweetly, tapping my foot impatiently.
His face registered a reluctant admiration despite his obvious irritation as he bobbed his head and said,
' The boss would not want you to take a cab. I'll take you.
The bodyguard's uncertainty about turning up with me in the early hours of the evening at a posh gentleman's club known for its nefarious activities rubbed off on me. But I was like a woman possessed.
I needed to have my lover, Lucien Delano, inside me to feel him empty his seed in me. I needed to feel his rock-hard manhood pounding into me as it claimed me for what was to be the very last time.
***
I had chosen my outfit from the handful of dresses I had bought from a boutique on one of the rare occasions I had gone clothes shopping. It was in the early days of our relationship. Heady with love, I had chosen a rich green tie-strap high-low babydoll dress, as the girl in the shop had gushed, pointing out how much it suited me, my complexion, and my hair. With an A-line cut, it had a tiered ruffle at the end of the hemline, which added an extra touch of flounce as I walked, making it billow out and making me look classy and chic. It also effectively hid the slight bump that would be visible if I had chosen to wear a figure-hugging outfit.
The self-tying straps dangled invitingly, and I twisted my lips as I thought of how I had fantasized about a scene where Lucien would remove the sashes lovingly before we made love...
My fantasy had died a stillborn death, for I had never worn the dress before.
I had never gone out with him except for that one ghastly incident.
***
Heads turned as I stepped out of the car and walked towards the entrance. Biting my lip to hide my nervousness, I recalled the first night I had met Lucien Delano right here.
I slept with him too, I thought, biting down hard on my lip to hold back the pain.
I had discarded my jacket in the car. Now I walked, hugging myself as the harsh wind blew. It is not a busy evening right now. The crowd was just beginning to trickle in. Gentlemen's games with women of disreputable characters happened mainly after dark, I thought drily.
Some of the patrons who were entering looked me over in frank appreciation. Ignoring them, I swayed my hips and walked inside, displaying a confidence I did not feel.
I nodded to the doorman, who let me in unquestioningly. He either recognized me as Lucien Delano's latest plaything, or he was not in the habit of stopping women who turned up at odd hours to meet the boss. It was amazing how a broken heart had opened my eyes to the real world, I thought as I sashayed in.
The manager spotted me and hurried over. He slowed down, and I noticed a look of surprise on his face as he listened to my soft question about the boss's whereabouts. Hesitantly, rubbing his hands together, he stepped forward and spoke in a soft voice,
"Uh, .Mr. Delano is in a... meeting, ma'am."
I smiled at him winningly, batting my lashes at him coquettishly.
"Then I'll wait." I purred. 'Please let him know I'm here, I added, with another flirtatious smile.
With a look of wonderment on his servile face, he took me to another room, not the one I was so painfully familiar with. I wondered fleetingly whether Lucien's "meeting" was with another girl, a raw innocent like me. The pain that shot through me was almost physical in nature, and I had to bite my lips to stop from crying out.I wandered around the room, admiring the tastefully arranged dark wooden furniture, where the walls were lined with shelves holding volumes of ponderous-looking books that no one had ever read. Moving aimlessly, I stopped to trail a finger over the walnut table, which had a number of papers on it, placed haphazardly. All the while, I tried not to imagine how Lucien would react to my sudden appearance.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and my heart pounded as I turned to look at my lover, who strode in. With a harsh order to the ever-present wingmen who had apparently been tailing him, Lucien Delano limped in, irritation in his stride, virile and imposing as ever.
The door swung shut discreetly behind him, and I heard a lock click into place.
My eyes feasted on the man who had owned me, body and soul.
The hours he spent in the gym every evening kept him fit, and I caught my breath as I watched him, realizing how much I loved him and how much I was longing for his touch. The powerful shoulders were tense under the crisp gray shirt he wore, for he had discarded his jacket in his room, I imagined. As always, the shirt was unbuttoned to his waist, and I could see the crisp chest hair, curling and dusted with gray, as he walked to me, scowling.
" I adore him," I thought bleakly.
On the heels of that came the heartbreaking thought, "How could I ever hope to live without him?"
The salt and pepper head of hair caught the gleam from the subdued lights on the ceiling. The lines on his harsh, attractive face seemed more pronounced. As Lucien approached, I saw the flare of heated desire in his eyes-a light that was hidden almost at once behind a mask of annoyance.
He swept his gaze over me, his gaze resting intimately on the high swell of my breasts, then moving down to my bare legs and demure sandal-clad feet. A glimmer of approval passed over the shuttered face, and I smiled inwardly to myself, sadly.
So the attraction between us was still there.
Coming closer, he snapped in irritation,
"What are you doing here?"